Guardian Abrasion
by Nuclear Kitty
Summary: When Zuko's life is unravelling after being threatened by an attempted assassination, he needs a miracle to save his reign. Instead he gets Toph as his personal body guard, and more chaos ensues. Toko ch. 3 is posted!
1. Prologue

Dislaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender and it's characters belong to Viacom

Prologue

He clutched his head as the wave of terror swept through his body. His body slowly curled and he struggled to breath in the cramped space. Burdened with the extreme weight, his chest rose and fell uneasily. He trailed his hands down to his face and shuddered as a cool liquid met his palm. His terror subsided and opened his eyes. The eye he relied on was swollen, so if he could have seen in the darkness. 'Not broken' he decided as he exhaled through his nostrils and then his tongue tested his lips.

"Cut" he shifted onto his back and his body protested when a sharp object cut into his back. He groaned and turned back to the side. He stretched and removed the metal shard from his back while shaking from the pain. The object safely in his palm, and he knew it to be his crown. As his bloody hand clutched the golden piece, he shook with rage as his hand fingers enclosed over it. 'This is why I am here.' He felt the sharp edges press into his skin and the numb shock that had washed over his body began to shift to anger. 'This… this…' Images of the attack flew through his mind. This palm sized emblem had ruined his life.

* * *

It was the first time after his ascendency to the throne that Zuko knew his half his country was rejecting his message of peace. Naively he had known the process would be long and weary, but he failed to comprehend why Azula's name fell favorably from the people's lips. His sister's banishment from the country had made her into the martyr that Zuko never became. He had intercepted plots to dethrone him that had his sister supplanting him as the rightful Firelord. Even with her locked away in an obscure prison, she was dangerous and he was all alone.

What happened to those blissful years where the Fire Nation reconstructed peacefully? The release of information had not corrected the propaganda of his father's reign. The country was either too poor to care, too attached to the image of the imperialism, or too stubborn to willing accept him as anything but a traitor. It took all of his energy and his allies' energy to reach the populace. The strain of those four years of readjustment gradually brought reward, but threatened his happiness. Rogue threats turned into sleepless nights, dire situations estranged him from his long-time girlfriend, and up rise in the city threatened his sanity. The whole Fire Nation seemed to have turned against him after another ally was slowly eliminated. His uncle's presence was the only soothing presence amid the chaos in and out of the palace. Mai was growing weary from the boredom of confinement of the palace that fateful day.

* * *

"Mai" His hoarse voice cracked bitterly and he glanced around. The wreckage suddenly shifted and he braced himself for more pain as some pelted his legs and chest. He coughed causing the dirt to stir around him and let the crown slide out of his throbbing hand. He was still shaking all over with anger as much as the cramped space would allow.

He couldn't comprehend the voices and he tried to wriggle out of the enclosure. Light began to pour in and his unprepared eyes blinked rapidly and streamed tears. He turned his head to the right and images slowly adjusted. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight that slowly appeared before him. His heart pounded in his ears and his swollen eye throbbed as tears squeezed out. He felt some of the burden lifted from the lower regions of his body and black specks appeared before him as he became unconscious at the sight of his girlfriend's long, pale hand peeking from the buried earth. His body was being lifted as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry I took so long to post! I couldn't decide if I wanted to start with such a dark chapter. I didn't want to kill off Mai, but the longer I kept her in the story I saw it was more difficult to keep the plot running smoothly. On a high note, I've been brainstorming though for the past few weeks and I've also written the first few chapters. That should be posted soon! R/R

Nuclear Kitty


	2. Ch1 Salt of the Earth

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews and fav's for my one-shot, and a special thanks to Zenjamin for the first review for this story. Here's the first chapter!

* * *

"The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed during war" Chinese Proverb

Ch.1 Salt of the Earth

Toph didn't know why that particular morning she had skipped her exercises. As she paced around the conical military base, she didn't understand her restlessness. She hadn't been content waiting for assignments, but she had endured the wait.

'Well not counting those pranks on those cranky generals.' She grinned and broke the strange somber mood. She wiggled her toes on the man made pavement and she snorted with disgust. She had been trained to be a part of the Earth kingdom's army, and as much as she loved those special missions she earned for her talents, but she hated being caged up within another wall. It was why she declared another independence from her family even when they were no longer estranged.

'Well it was actually my first' she conceded thoughtfully, and fingered her arm space band carefully as she trudged, but she wouldn't think about them now. She turned her thoughts to her best glory moments.

In truth, Toph always reveled in the gush of self- satisfaction when she knew she would win. Her palms were pressed against the earth and she was surrounded by a group of men loaned to her for this particular mission. In the past two weeks, she was sent on a wild goose-monkey chase by superiors to search the entirety of the Earth Kingdom. Those who thought they could intimidate her out of the army would be regretting elevating her even higher in popularity among the ranks. The sweat plastered her clothes to her frame, and the raw thumping her chest with anticipation only swelled the intensity of the moment. The trickle of sweat slid down her nose when she balanced herself. She felt a few of her company shuffle impatiently behind her, and finishing trying their patience, she beckoned to them to move closer. "Ready?" she felt them nodding their heads emphatically.

She stood and wiped the back of her neck with her hand. "Well then, move forward!" She commanded and they raced into the town. She felt her bangs fly off her face and her bare feet pounding into the earth. She concentrated on the presence she had been searching for and making her small legs go faster than the men in her troop. She was close enough to encase the tall man with a wall of earth if she wanted, but she merely had the men surround him and his animal.

"Hello" she said giving a quick bow. "It's time to come out of hiding your majesty." Kumei managed to sigh royally even in rags. The bear left his side and licked her arm appreciatively. 'He must miss being pampered' Toph chuckled and patted the still spoiled animal on the head. The Earth King visibly relaxed.

The Blind Bandit, Avatar's teacher, the Run Away-still her personal favorite- and the one who discovered the Earth King among the 'wilderness', she just kept outdoing herself.

She separated from her squad at the next town. They would be heading north, and she would be heading west. She'd miss torturing them, but she had grown used to being forced from one situation to another. Although she would enjoy gloating when she reported, she hated this forced tossing around. It was the life of a soldier. She had gotten used to it, and she would replay that thought as if it would become true. After they were out of her line of 'sight', she raised her arms and the earth and began running towards her destination. This movement required a lot of her concentration, but the burning anticipation about how she could best present the news was making the maneuver harder.

Toph was still reliving the memory when she began to be aware of a patch of wild daffodils peaking from the corner she was approaching. She could sense the struggle for life from a part of the plant. She remembered her mother letting her come outside to help her in her garden.

"Feel for the wilted buds Toph," she said in her honey laced voice "so we can help the flower bloom at it's best"

Toph had been thrilled to pick the flowers and she would scatter them about her. It had been exhilarating for a while.

"Mommy" the little girl Toph used to be furrowed her tiny black brows together. "what if we plucked the bloomed flowers, so the hurting ones could live?"

Her mother stood silent for too long when she contemplated her daughter's words. "Baby" she patted her daughters small head "their time is over, we're helping the plant grow stronger. Now that's enough of that, I think you've had enough sun for today."

Toph sighed and plucked off the healthy flower head. She hated the concept of pruning after the thought bloomed in her head that day. She twirled the blossom in her finger and laughed aloud. Feeling the air begin to heat and knowing the sun was rising, she went about her day.

* * *

When she was truly alone she worried about her friends, and she would miss their carefree life. With her success in the Earth Kingdom and living the independence she craved, she missed her friends. The correspondence had been rather bleak for the past two years. As far as she recalled the only good news to come to her was Aang and Katara's wedding invitation. It was nice to visit them, and pretend the recovery wasn't on her thoughts. She had pranced around bossing everyone around and avoiding Sokka. Being away from him was necessary, so she didn't hurt herself within any longer. All those protective walls she had been carrying around just dissolved inside when she was around him.

* * *

The sound of flapping reached her ears. She finished her purposely drawn-out spar with a casual flick of her wrist, and a pair of declawed talons grasped onto her outstretched arm.

'Still undefeated.'

She reached into her pouch on the side of her hip and fed it to the bird while softly clucking at it. Her opponent was groaning dramatically from where he fell, and amused, she continued to pet the messenger hawk. "Stop being such a pansy, and read the report to me Twitch" she inclined her head to the disgruntled soldier. He coughed belatedly while holding his side and took out the parchment out of the case the bird carried.

"Toph- I'm sending Hawky ahead to warn you that I'll be arriving. I can't tell you why, but we'll need your help. " Toph frowned at that. She didn't take well to being surprised.

"Sincerely Twinkletoes" the private finished. 'Twitch' received the bird, and she bit her lip in bewilderment. The news couldn't be good; It hadn't been good for years.

Toph had finished packing hours ago even after an hour of pleading for leave from her superiors and Aang still hadn't shown up. She plopped onto the satin cushions, devoured the food she had confiscated, and fingered the tassels on the pillows. 'What's taking so long' her feet jiggled impatiently, and she wondered if she could take the wait.

He wasn't too far away...

"Hey Toph" His voice was solemn and deeper than the last time she'd seen him. She relaxed and stood up.

"Finally! What's going on Twinkletoes?"

"I've come to take you to the Fire Nation- we need your help there."

"Yeah I figured that, but why? Where's Sugar Queen?" She gathered her belongings and began to follow him. His heart was racing, and Toph's stomach remained sunk. He didn't answer her immediately, but chewed on his lip as they went through the halls.

"I can't really say here, but she's in the Fire Nation waiting for us." They got to the courtyard and she climbed onto Appa.

"Hey you big lug- oh wait I forgot Hawky." She moved to jump off, but Aang shook his head.

"I found him and sent him ahead to Katara to let her know we left. Ready?"

"Am I ever?" she cracked a bemused smile. He gave her the barest of smiles not knowing if she could sense that kind of encouragement, and flicked the reigns. Appa soared off, and she felt the bile rise in her throat. Reflexively, she put her head between her knees while desperately clutching the railing. 'I don't want to fly ever again.' After a few minutes of her silent hatred of her hated fragility, Aang joined her in the saddle and offered her a drink.

After washing away the taste, she felt slightly less queasy, and she wiped away the stray water on her chin.

"Tell me what's going on." She turned her head to what she believed was his general direction.

"Zuko almost died this morning." His words fell slowly from his lips. Toph lifted her throbbing head a little too fast.

"What!"

"He'll pull through, but it's more dangerous there than we thought. Mai died. Katara and I have concealed his injuries from the public." He was talking so fast and his frustration was leaking through. "We knew there was dissent among the masses. We're just lucky we were in the Fire Nation. We didn't want to bring you into the danger, but we'd just make the situation more delicate. They wouldn't anticipate you."

"Stop!" She cut his ramblings off and lowered her spinning head. "I want to help, but I'm confused. Why are you bringing me in this?"

He took a breath. "We want you to become the Fire Lord's body guard."

To be Continued

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Author's Note: well this was not my favorite chapter. A lot of background information before we enter the plot I'm working towards, but still a necessary feature. Please Read and Review! I'm the type that likes encouragement ;)


	3. Ch2 Burning Bush

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows."Helen Keller

Ch.2 Burning Bush

_"No!" His eyes spilled over with tears and his roar couldn't be loud enough. His eyes were meant for darkness, his heart was meant for breaking, and his shoulders shook with grief._

_"I've found you," he said tasting the irony, and his knees found the ground._

_He brushed his mother's stray black and gray hair out of her face. He stared at her delicate body._

_"I'm too late," he whispered._

_"Zuko." He tuned out her voice easily by focusing on the thumping of his erratic heart. He knew there was nothing her healing could do. One of his companions shuffled forward purposefully and clasped a steadying hand on him. He gritted his teeth and almost shook it away, but realized he didn't have the energy._

_The small hand squeezed his shoulder and the resulting pain fought the numbness seeping through his heart. The almost synchronized chorus of his friends' condolences cut through the darkness, and he almost felt better._

_"Hey, we need to go"_

_He turned his head to her._

His eyes opened and a compassionate face with blue eyes and dark skin appeared before him.

The face was not what he was expecting. He jumped, and shut his eyes as the pain resurfaced.

"Take it easy! You were pretty hurt back there." The familiar voice reprimanded him.

He groaned and he remembered. His good eye didn't throb like it was swollen and he realized it was healed, but he felt dizzy and laden with unhappiness. He slowly eased his eyes open, and two blurs murmured quietly.

He could feel his right hand being squeezed.

"Uncle," He opened his eyes and focused on him. He could make out the dear wrinkled face with tears running down.

"I'm here." His voice was strained with relief. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy- I feel like I've been hit by an armored tank." he watched as Katara passed behind his line of sight. He could feel the pain ebb and he met his uncle's unwavering eyes. "You're cutting off the circulation in my hand."

His uncle chuckled. "Forgive this old man for his concern. I nearly lost you today." He blew his nose with the cuff of his shirt.

"This is not the first time that's ever happened." Zuko shifted uncomfortably on the mattress and hated himself for his apathetic response.

"But this is different! You've lost…"

"What?" Katara interrupted to Zuko's relief. "Why haven't we heard about this other attempted assassination?"

"My dear," his beloved uncle gave her a faint smile. "It happened before the North Pole was besieged. Here Zuko drink this." Zuko grimaced, gathered his strength, and sat up. The water slid down his throat and his dizziness dissipated.

"But it could still be important to know- they had done it before, maybe they want revenge…" she trailed off at the blank look on both of their faces. Zuko accepted a cup of rice and chopsticks, but before he relieved his stomach, he answered her.

"Zhao's dead and those pirates- well you met them…" He began to shovel rice down his throat.

"Oh..." They watched him eat in silence and Zuko shifted uncomfortably. He set the bowl aside and moved to the edge of the bed.

His uncle and Katara moved forward to help him stand.

"Thanks for healing me." He sighed and His uncle knowingly patted his shoulder.

'Mai' The dull look returned to his face and walked slowly around the suffocating room.

* * *

They had to whisper, so they wouldn't disturb his thoughts.

"Shouldn't we tell him…?"

"He knows."

"Not that." She frowned and rubbed her temples. 'Poor Zuko.' "Did you tell him about keeping the funeral private?"

"I will," He sighed and glanced at his nephew stare blankly out the window.

"I don't know how I'll tell him he can't trust his own people even within the palace." He looked grim. 'I can't protect him anymore.'

Katara followed his gaze and sighed. "I think he knows."

Suddenly, Zuko slammed his fists on the windowsill. They both guiltily jumped and hoped he hadn't heard them.

"Why!" He avoided his Uncle Iroh's gaze, and he stormed out of the room.

"That's better," the old man murmured. Perplexed, Katara swiveled her head back towards him. "He's snapped out of his stupor." He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Mmmhum…" Katara could understand that mood. Katara heard a door slam, but was more astonished to see a smile spreading over the wizened man's face for the first time that day.

"When did you say Lady Toph would arrive?"

* * *

Zuko felt his ears heat with rage and slammed his fist on the ledge. He heard their gasps, but even in the pits of anger, he was ashamed of his weakness. He couldn't meet their eyes.

"Why!"

The words slipped from his mouth, and he remembered those fleeting moments being nearly crushed to death. A flicker of light to the right of his uncle caught his eye. The sun glimmered on his crown even in its pitifully bent state. His dried blood on the sharp edges had yet to be cleaned away.

He swept out of the room. It probably wasn't safe. He could feel his heart hammering within his chest, but his rage gave him the courage to continue each risk-taking step. He passed a few servants who either bowed until their surprise wore off or those who tried to guide him back to his room. He shrugged them all off.

"My Lord!"

"No. I'm fine."

'I do this for the Fire Nation.' He pushed past a woman carrying fresh linens. 'No matter what the cost.'

"Sir!"

He gave a dark glance to the attendant who slowly shrank away.

He flung open the large door and stepped into the sunshine. 'Yesterday it was over cast.'

His feet brought him in front of the fountain. The old apple tree with their initials carved after his coronation… he shuddered. The tree was sickly. It wasn't producing blooms and its leaves were shriveled. He shifted his gaze back to the fountain.

The dripping water was soothing and he let the past wash over him.

'Try to knock the apple off the other person's head'

'Aww, don't they look cute together?'

'You two are such…ugh!'

'Girls are crazy!'

'It's complicated.'

'Now we're even.'

He didn't know how long he stood there- staring up at the tree. She was gone, and he had to let her go. He hung his head. "I'm sorry Mai." He felt his fist tighten and looked away as he shot a stream of fire at the suffering tree. The pleasant smell of burning wood filled his nostrils and he inhaled it slowly. He was about to destroy the fountain when the earth began to shake. He fell on his back and was jerked him back to the present.

"Ouch," he moaned and rubbed head.

"Are you crazy?" He tilted his head back to see an upside down blind woman stomping towards him.

* * *

Author's Note: In case there was any confusion, the last quote 'Now we're even' came from the Avatar Magazine: Enter the Fire Nation, and 'It's complicated' referred to the episode Tales of Bae Sing Sae: Zuko's tale. Beware all the symbolism :) I've been so busy the past week, so sorry that this chapter is short. Thanks for the reviews, fav.'s and alerts added for the last chapter.

Pepipanda- I haven't read Artemis Fowl in so long, so I can't really recall that scene so well. As for getting easily distracted, we'll have to see how she takes to being a bodyguard ;)

Sakura Taichou- drum roll again lol thanks for the review!

Sangami- I'm glad you signed on to review, and I took your advice. I've forgot that I turned it off, so I'll see if this works.

 Nuclearkitty


	4. Ch3 Annoyances

Thanks for all the watches added for the last chapter & thanks for your patience! I have a new co-author/editor, K-A-T-A-R-A-4life on deviantart, who will be helping me get these posted sooner :D. Also I have a cover pic for the story, check out this link h t t p/ nuclearkitty17. deviantart. com /art/ Guardian-Abrasion- 93947736 (take out the spaces)

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"If we were blind and had no choice, would we hate each other by the tone of our voice?" - Anthrax, Schism

Ch. 3 Annoyances

* * *

_The rats scurried across the banister and the low voice muttered curses and triumphs. Calm and uninterested, the figure sat in a meditative pose amid the filth. At home amid its waste, the filthy stoic face slowly began to smile, the crags of frown lines smoothed for the first time in years. "Excellent." The voice laced with venom continued to rejoice while crossing off a name in the dirt._

* * *

The poor tree was crumbling in the wake of the fire, and Zuko was trembling like a madman before it. He blinked fast and jerked to his feet. The smoke began to blur his vision of her. "What was that for!" He rubbed his head and she stood apprehensively alert.

"Well what was I supposed to do? You're losing your mind and destroying things." She stomped and crushed the smoldering tree. A puff of smoke billowed around her and the bangs lifted from her forehead.

"Leave me alone." He responded and turned away from her. She wasn't done speaking to him.

"You've got to be pretty loopy pulling a stunt like that. Why would I leave you alone now?" He coughed and fanned his face from the smoke.

"So what are you doing here?" she shuffled to his side.

"What are you doing here?" he turned back to her, angry. She quirked her eyebrow and put her hands on her now defined hips.

"Don't you know?"

"What? You came… to the funeral?" his shoulders sank and he felt drained again.

"Not too thrilled to see me, but I understand." She shifted a rock nearby with her pinkie toe. She was horrible at making anyone feel better. She wished Aang or Katara had come this way. "So should we go inside?"

He wasn't moving and barely registered that he heard her at all. Toph felt her patience draining and grabbed his shirt.

"Come on." She tugged and he stepped forward. Her small hand closed over his wrist and she began to drag him into the building. His weakened appearance made him feel tired all over and the movement of his feet across the floor barely registered in his mind. He could feel her small hands clamped around his wrist. He saw all the sites around him less clearly. He could only see the tree burning. Burning away the life that he had, and when he shook his head he could only see the small hand guiding him forward...

"Good you're back to the land of the living."

He blinked and looked around. He was lying back in his room. He rubbed his eyes and looked around confused. 'Had it all been a dream?'

"Are you zoning out on me again or are you wanting to go vent some more?" she was smiling a little too wide at her own joke. He squirmed in the sheets.

"Did I actually burn the tree in the yard?"

"Yes you did, and boy, were you out of it!"

He frowned. "Where's everyone else?"

She waved her hand about. 'Sure change the subject, it'll take all the teasing away.' "Well your uncle just went to sleep. I made him." She added the last as an undertone. "Aang and Katara- you don't want to know" she grinned conspiratorially. Zuko gave the awaited grimace and rubbed his eyes. "You've just been sleeping for a while. It was weird." She folded her legs underneath her in the chair.

He studied her for a moment. "But why are you here?" She tilted her head to the side.

"We've gone through this. I thought you knew."

"Yeah but why are you in my room?" his voice muffled as he pulled a shirt on.

"You've lost a lot of your muscles, Grumpy." Toph murmured.

"Do you think I have time to train when I've got problems here." He muttered heatedly. "now you can stop changing the subject."

"I was supposed to wait till Iroh could speak to you." She sighed. "But it's probably better for him if you don't snap at him."

"What then?" He swung his feet over the side of the bed.

"Well," she hesitated. "I'm basically going to be your body guard, crazy."

Katara rested her head against her husband's rising chest. Her damp, curly hair clung to his stomach as she felt his tension die for the first time that day. The world was not at peace, and her family and the people she and Aang helped recover would all be in immediate danger. She rubbed her face gently against his skin to wipe off the bitter tears. Aang murmured something incoherent, and she froze. He turned to his side when she finally breathed a sigh and laughed at herself. They would muck through this together as they always did. She settled back in his warmth and let sleep claim her.

Her last thoughts were how sorry that Toph was bringing herself into the chaos, and if she could forgive herself for leaving them in the thick of all the danger. She showed she didn't want their help when she shoed everyone but the sleeping Zuko out of the room. She smiled remembering how Toph winked at Aang and her, and then told them to 'have fun'.

'This has to work out.' Her unconscious mind assured. 'It would not come to war'

She slid her feet back to the ground to feel his reaction.

He blinked twice and regarded her.

"But."

She folded her arms.

"What?"

"You…um… how come I don't have a say?" he spluttered.

"It wasn't my idea either, pansy." She was bristling with prepared anger.

"But" he started carefully. "What can you do?"

She unfolded her arms and smiled her most sincere grin.

"Why keep your butt from getting fried." She paused and then added. "Hot Head." Zuko was on his feet.

"Why do you keep insulting me?"

She shrugged. "It's not insulting. It's just something I do. Ask anyone."

He rolled his eyes heavenward.

"Yeah I thought the last one suited you." She put her palms together.

"Pick another one." He ground out and tuned out her reply as he walked to his desk. It was less cluttered than the day before. His proclamations were piled on the side neatly at the side and his picture of his uncle stood without its companion. Surely his uncle figured he couldn't be reminded of his failure at this time. He dipped his quill into the ink and began working.

Toph had enough of his attitude. She had concocted three schemes to prank him back into his usual self and she knew she would feel horrible if they back fired. So she sat grumpily bored. She did a few stretches and yawned. How could she guard someone when she hated staying indoors for long? This was like Bae Sing Sae; no leaving the house because you were being watched. It was no wonder his girlfriend had declared never ending boredom.

"Okay if anyone is listening, I'm going to attempt to sleep. I'm sure since you're a big boy you'll be able to take care of yourself for that long." She lay on the marble floor and pounded it until it was remotely softer. She'd fix it later. He humphed at her last comment.

"Fine." He mumbled and rubbed his eyes. After a while, he buried himself to the point where he was rereading sentences. Toph concentrated on his heart beat as she tried to ignore the shuffling of paper and stamping and the burning of the Firelord's crest. After an hour, he put his head in his hands and he became aware of snoring behind him. He turned and looked at the figure on the floor.

'What in Agni?' She looked peaceful against the floor. He winced. She would choose to sleep on the floor rather than a soft bed. He reached for his velvet comforter and tucked it around her cold shoulders. He jerked back when he noted her eyes fluttering open. The pale green eyes were still , and she shifted a little in her sleep and the snoring eased to soft breathing, but her eyes remained open.

After recovering from the initial shock, he pondered how unique it was she could sleep with her eyes open. He returned to his desk chair.

"Body guard? Have I become this weak?" He rubbed his eyes. 'How could a blind girl effectively protect me.' He had seen during their years as teammates her effectiveness as an earthbender, but he never had a chance to get to know her or the source of her power. He still didn't know how she could live so normally. He was too proud to ask before, but maybe because of her 'employment', he could find a way to get the details. He yawned.

The woman on the floor stirred. "Someone sounds tired again."

"You're a light sleeper." He observed.

"Lucky you huh?"

"I guess."

"You know I've been awake since you draped that huge heat catcher over me. Were you dozing off again or were you staring at me?"

He shifted uncomfortably.

"I was thinking. I may have glanced your way. Did you know you sleep with your eyes open?"

"I wasn't aware." She stood up and the blanket fell to her feet. She considered him with a wry grin and punched him in the arm.

"No more staring or you get a bruise next time." He rubbed his arm and glared at her. If she noticed she didn't show. "Do you want to get out of this stuffy room or what?"

"Why?"

"Don't you have Fire Lord duties or something? You've got to do more than sit around in your room all day. No offense, but it's no wonder you want to sleep half the time."

He was offended. He raised himself to the fullest posture and said, "On normal days, I do a great many things."

"Um hum." She agreed to appease him, "Show me." She dared him with a poke to that loftily held chest.

He swatted it away and stiffly gestured out of the room.

"Well then follow me." They walked out into the hall.

"Aww finally a hole in the wall!"

"It's a window."

"I know that Mr. Literal, but it's basically a hole in the wall."

"Sure." The curtains billowed out around them and Toph stifled a shiver as they floated on her. Zuko walked out of the hall and continued to ignore the woman plodding next to him. She rubbed her bare arms as the air knocked the warmth out of her. She caught herself from tripping on the granite steps.

"Hey could you slow down! I can't see you as well in here." He stopped.

"There you are." She caught up.

"See?"

"Well feel, but doesn't that make you uncomfortable?" She reached for his arm. "Give me your arm, I won't be able to 'feel' at all in a moment." He extended his arm.

"So much for you blending in." A lady would take his arm with a feathery lightness, but Toph clutched his arm like a vice.

"Not so hard!"

"Just keeping you in line, Fire Flake. I can't believe I cannot come up with a perfect name for you!"

Exasperated, she loosened her grip. She slipped into a contented silence as they trudged into the grand hall. The granite floor was an adjustment for Toph. She attached herself to his body to mirror his movements. An uncomfortable flush spread across his face, and he hoped she wouldn't notice his discomfort. They stepped onto the wooden entrance to the throne room.

Zuko tugged her along like a rag doll, and Toph would fight back when she wanted to stop and thump her feet against the floor.

"This room has good echoes. I'll hear anyone enter."

"It's the middle of the night; no one will come in here."

"Whatever." she ignored him and 'looked' around. She felt the walls and poked around.

"If only this place was stone, it wouldn't take so long to scan the place." She sniffed.

He shrugged and slumped into his throne. She prodded about like that by herself until he contemplated sleeping. At last she collapsed at his feet, and he knew he wouldn't get any sleep..

"Part of me is disappointed that you don't have any secret passages." She massaged her feet. "So I think you should redecorate."

"It's been in my family for ages." He protested.

"It's not very safe for you in here when I can barely 'see' you." She removed a splinter from her big toe.

"Do you have to watch me everywhere?"

"Well if you want to live, you might as well take my suggestions." She paused and gave her biggest smile. "What have you got to hide from me?"

"Nothing." He twitched and his face flushed as the images of what she could possibly see ran through his head. "Can't you just turn it off for a while?"

Toph laughed, and it rang off the walls. "I've become accustomed to it, no need to be uncomfortable. I can pretend to ignore you if that makes you feel better."

He was still giving her an incredulous look when voices came into hearing.

"Who's there?"

"It's me"

"See I couldn't even detect if someone comes in the room."

"Why do you have the need to do that?"

"What?" she asked with her impeccable doe eyes.

Zuko grumbled his irritation while watching Iroh take her hands.

"Well Miss Toph, what a lovely lady you have blossomed into!"

"I'll take your word for it." She shrugged . Her hair felt lank and greasy from lack of proper hygiene in their haste and her body felt stiff, she was pretty sure visually she looked less than appealing. Zuko thought he caught a brief glimpse of doubt across her pale face, but she quickly grinned and let his uncle hug her.

"He knows," she jabbed her thumb in his direction. Iroh frowned, but with his shoulders unburdened so easily, his sigh was of relief.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to explain things properly, Zuko."

He nodded. "It's alright, but I still don't think it's necessary."

"But it is." His uncle frown deepened, and he grabbed his shoulder. "These coincidences cannot be ignored. There is a pattern pointing to something larger than minor rebellions. Your sister's influences have extended beyond her confines."

"She is watched." Zuko noted. "How can she possibly get past our surveillance?"

"She is a master at persuasion. She cannot be ignored as a threat."

"Yes, but I've visited her, she's no longer a threat ."

"How do you know? She's a good actor." Toph chimed in.

"Yes, I know that." Zuko agreed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I know my own sister."

"She knows how to take down your credibility from the inside. She knows the exact places to strike."

"Yes in her sane state she would." Zuko frowned. "Look let's discuss this later."

His uncle sighed and released his shoulder. Toph shuffled her feet and tugged her loop of hair at the base of her neck. In a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, she said "I'm in for a lot of work aren't I?"

* * *

Review responses:

Sangami: thanks! There should be more to come :)

RuKkA: I'll definitely try my best, :D

Party in the Afterlife: thank you very much! I love reading your Toko fic as well

Sakura Taichou: I hope u enjoyed the interaction. Sorry it took so long to post :')

Lioness: thank you very much. Grammar is certainly not my forte, especially when I'm tired from the content of the chapter, but my new co-author is helping me tweak things. Thank you for the constructive critique!

Pepipanda: yeah I just keep wanting to get to the middle which has yet to be written, but I want to force myself to develop it first so it flows naturally. U'll see more of how she takes to her job next chapter. This chapter is still very much a set up. I hated doing this to Zuko, even if he is ficional, but I needed the situation to be serious enough where Toph had to come in.


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